Henry is the protagonist of Henry and Beezus. He is a young boy who is about nine or 10 years old, and he lives on Klickitat Street with his parents and mischievous dog, Ribsy. Henry is a friendly and good-natured kid who is kind and helpful to others. He often does errands for his parents and spends his own money to buy dog food for his dog. He is also a friendly neighbor and friend, such as when he shares his gum loot with Beezus, Ramona, and Robert. Henry does have some misgivings about being close friends with Beezus because she is a girl. However, over the course of the story, Henry forms a reluctant friendship with her as she supports his quest of getting his own bike.

While Henry is generally good-natured toward his neighbors, he feels very competitive with his neighbor Scooter, who is the oldest kid on the street. Henry envies Scooter’s bike and his job as a newspaper delivery boy, and he aspires to be like Scooter. Henry feels that Scooter is a show-off, and his rivalry with Scooter is part of his motivation to get his own bike.